Ben D. Kritz
In the wake of this week’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) by President Benigno Aquino 3rd, a surprising topic grabbed the public’s attention: The involvement of a young Dutchman, Thomas van Beersum, in the annual demonstration by leftist groups denouncing the President as a human rights violator and puppet of imperialists. The protest, the highlights of which are always the burning of a very creative effigy of the President (the whole thing is sort of a weird Filipino version of Mardi Gras) followed by an hour or so of mild rioting, takes place every year and adheres to the same theme no matter who the President is.